Tears of a Maverick
by Animation Universe 2005
Summary: The story of Cody's childhood. Request from Cody the Maverick. I hope you like this story. Please let me know if this is good stuff!
1. The Birth

I'm BACK!! This fic is for Wolf Mystic and also to Cody the Maverick. Since December, I've been asked by Cody the Maverick to do Cody's childhood since her fic, 'Teardrops on my Iceboard' has been discontinued. So it's left to me to do this fic for her. I hope you like it and I hope I did my best as my version of Cody's past. Enjoy!

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Tears of a Maverick

by: Terrell James

Chapter 1: The Birth

June 7, 1989

It was a cold night in Shiverpool, Antarctica, where the day, June 27th, became the day that all rockhopper penguins prepared themselves for the Blue-Moon ceremony, the birth of the newborn babies as they do every year. However, this day became the day that changed everything for the first time ever that one family have their own young that is completely different.

Bob Maverick went in to check on his wife, Edna, who's sitting on her eggs to keep them warm. He looked at her and asked, "How are we doing?"

Edna looked at him and realized that he became extremely confident and excited about the birth. She said, "I see you're excited about our kids' birth?"

"I am extremely excited about being a father. I'm actually looking forward for this birth."

"Don't worry so much."

"Me, worried? I am not that worried."

Edna smiled at him and Bob was acting totally confident, but he sighed heavily and said, "This is nerve-racking, but I hope some good can come from this."

As excited as he was, Bob definitely feels like he's looking forward to his first and definitely his final egg-hatching ceremony, because this is his first time doing an egg hatching and definitely the last.

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Several hours later, as they were ready for the birthing of their hatchlings, Bob saw one of the eggs rolling out of nowhere in the snow as the skies turned dark and growing cold. Everyone started walking quickly, and Bob tried to keep up with the others, unaware that the egg is starting to slip from his arms.

"Wait for me! Wait for---No!!!"

Then, all of a sudden, it fell out of the snow and heading towards the freezing water that the patches of ice started to form up the water, leaving Bob in a panic-mode. The egg fell into the water and then, he planned to rescue his soon-to-be hatchling.

"I'm coming!"

He leaped in the air and plunged into the water to catch the egg before it gets too far from Shiverpool. He swam across the river to find the egg and all of a sudden, he sees sight of it and swam quickly than every other penguin that swam that quickly. He went underwater to get close to it and he sawm deep into the water and then, pops out of nowhere and catches it just in time.

He breathed a big sigh of relief and whispered, "Thank goodness."

Several minutes later, he swam back to shore, his feathers wet, but lucky that he got the egg back and just in time for the birthing of the babies. He walked back nervously and then, he saw Edna walking with one egg and saw Bob carrying the other egg and she asked, "Why are you all wet?"

Bob sighed heavily and said, "Long story short. One of our eggs were almost lost at sea, but I finally caught it before it swam away from us. Talk about big rescuing."

"Well, at least he's safe from harm."

"Let's hope."

As others gathered around seeing the new babies being hatched and hearing the penguins sing aloud for the blue moon to grow stronger, Bob and Edna were the last ones to see their newborn babies hatched. Bob was kinda nervous about what the outcome will it be. However, it was cool to see that it was okay to drop the egg in the sea, but not in the water, which worried Bob the most. As soon as all the eggs hatched, one of the Maverick's egss started moving and then, immediately cracked open and out came an almost bigger baby penguin and the others started seeing how cute it is.

"Awwwwww......."

Bob and Edna were definitely happy to see their first newborn baby boy and Bob held him closely and Edna looked him and saw how cute he looked.

"He's a keeper."

"This is definitely the best one we've hatched so far." Edna said.

"I agree wholeheartedly. What should name him?"

He looked at his brown eyes and then, Edna came up with a perfect name for him. She then said, "Let's call him 'Glen'."

"Why Glen?"

"He looks like my cousin Glen."

Bob looked at him and noticed that he does look like a Glen, and she told him, "That's a good name. Glen Stephen Maverick."

Then, all of a sudden, another egg is starting to hatch and Edna and Bob were able to witness the birth of another youngling. Two feet were popped out from the bottom of the shell and it started hopping out of place. The others were sort of laughing because they just think it's just cute.

Then, as the egg started hopping, the other parts of the egg came loose and this penguin was different from everyone else, which no one expected. Everyone gasped in complete shock when they saw how small he is.

Edna and Bob were definitely surprised about the birth of his second son. They looked at each other and Bob felt completely shocked. The little baby penguin was hopping around in the snow, chanting, 'Cold-y, cold-y, cold-y, cold-y...."

"So, what should we name him?" asked Bob.

Then, Edna kept hearing the little penguin chant 'cold-y' several times and brought up a name for it. She said, "Since he keeps saying 'cold-y' a lot, I think he's something special...kinda. We'll name him.....Cody."

He thought long and hard about this name, but then he looked at his second son's brown eyes and said, "Good name."

Sooner or later, the other penguins looked at Edna and Bob, looking kinda surprised and also disturbed that their second son isn't like the other baby penguins, cause he's so much smaller.

"Come on, he's still normal. He's our boy, even though he's kinda...well, you know---"

"DIFFERENT?!!" the other penguins shouted.

"Yeah, that."

Cody overheard that word and chanted, "Diffy-want. Diffy-want. Diffy-want. Diffy-want."

As Cody kept repeating the word, Edna and Bob were pretty sure that this situation would change their lives permanently, but Bob felt completely worried, thinking to himself, 'Is this birth my own fault? Am I responsible for this? No, of course not. I'm pretty sure that he'll be like everyone else as soon as he gets older....I hope.' It seems as though this is gonna be the most difficult situation because of Cody's difference. But the question remains: Is being different from the others will affect Young Cody for the rest of his life? One way or another, Cody's life is just beginning.

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Also, I've heard that January 11th was Wolf Mystic's b-day. Hope you like it and Cody the Maverick, I hope you like this fic. If I'm missing something, please let me know so I can edit it. I'm gonna post mroe chapters soon! Laterz!!


	2. Diffrerent from Others

What's up? I'm back for more. I would like to thank Cody the Maverick for sending me a review of this fic and favoring it. Hopefully, the next chapter will be more awesomer! Let me know!

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Chapter 2: Different from Others

A few days has passed by since Cody's birth and throughout most of it, every penguin in the entire Shiverpool area has kept most of their distances from him. It just seems as though Bob Maverick has predicted something like this would happen, but he knows some good can come from it...if only for a while.

Throughout most of Cody's life, he's always been different from everyone else, just not the same as other penguins are. Most times, he's always been running off further away from his parents' igloo, which triggered a twinge of overprotection from both parents, mainly his dad. His dad was the only one concerned about Cody the most.

Bob sighed heavily and felt completely floored about the situation since Cody's birth. He looked at Edna and asked, "Are we doing the right thing for our kids?"

"Yes, why?"

"Well, I'm just not sure if one of our kids seem to be the same as everyone else."

"Who, Glen?"

"No, Glen's fine. I-I'm just talking about Cody."

"I'm sure it's not that bad."

"You do realize that most of the others are always frowning down on us because Cody's birth became anything but a miracle, because he's so....small."

"What do you mean by that?"

"You know how they are about outcasts! They'd avoid us."

"You're overreacting. You said so yourself that even though he's not normal, there's still some good coming from this."

Bob sighed and said, "I guess you're right. I mean, I just have to live with this whole thing. Besides, I'm pretty sure that tomorrow, both Glen and Cody will learn the process about fish."

Edna chuckled and said, "Well, let's hope for your sake."

'For Cody's sake.' he thought.

* * *

The next morning, Bob has arrived with Glen and Cody to go to a school with other penguins and he was gonna teach them everything about fish. However, with Cody onboard, it just seems like it could be a very difficult position to be in that environment.

Bob cleared his throat as he got to the front of the students and said, "Good morning, class."

"Good morning, Mr. Maverick." the class replied.

"I would like to talk to you all about the fish and what we can learn from it. Now, what do you do if you see a fish?"

"Swim with them!" Cody blurted out.

Most of the class were giggling silently and left Glen rolling his eyes in exasperation and then, he replied, "Catch them!"

"Correct, Glen. Now what makes you a better penguin?"

"Play in the snow!" Cody exclaimed.

Then, the small giggles from the class turned into medium laughter and Glen groaned exasperatedly at his brother and said, "Sit on the eggs to keep warm and store fish. If you play in the snow all day, I don't think that makes you a better penguin. Just a slacker."

"But if I play in the snow, that does make me a better penguin."

Suddenly, the others were laughing loudly and Bob groaned heavily in exasperation. Then, Cody asked, "What's a slacker?"

Then, the laughter became hysterical which left Bob a little bit embarassed about the whole thing, which is how he knew it would be the outcome after Cody was born. He sighed heavily and told him, "A slacker is when you're not doing anything."

"Is that a good thing?"

"No, it's not a good thing. Also, in order to work in a fish, you have to catch them and store them up in a pile. And of course, you have to bring the fish home to your families."

"So, they'll have to eat it?" asked Cody.

"Yes, they have to eat it, Cody."

"What kind of question is that?" Glen muttered softly.

"Now, what kind of animal do we fear the most?" Bob asked.

Cody took a guess and said, "The fish!"

The class became quiet, but started laughing even more hysterical about what Cody said. Bob sighed and said, "No, we don't fear the fish."

"That's right! The fish fear us! The whale is the one we fear about."

"Right again, Glen. It seems as though our class has been learning a lot."

"Well except for Cody." one classmate muttered.

"Students, just because Cody said some stuff that's quite....strange, just don't respond to it. After all, he is trying."

"Yeah, right." Glen muttered.

"That concludes our lesson for today. See you tomorrow, class."

All the young penguins departed out of school, including Glen and Cody, until his father called him up. He said, "Cody, can I see you for a second, please?"

"Yes, papa."

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The conversation between Bob and Cody will come pretty soon. Stay tuned for it!


	3. Let Me Be Me

This is the inspiration from Cody the Maverick's 'Teardrops on my Iceboard' and it's turned into my own version of it. I hope you like this chapter!

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Chapter 3: Let Me Be Me

"I just want to talk to you for a minute, son."

Cody walked over to his father's side and asked, "Am I in trouble, papa?"

Bob sighed exasperatedly and said, "No, you're not in trouble. I just want to talk to you, not just as your teacher, but as father and son."

"Okay."

He just couldn't think of all the words to come up with to say to his son about the situation that occured just now. He sighed and asked, "Remember those answers you said today?"

"Yeah, what?"

"Well, I think that's what's the problem. See, everyone seems to see you as kind of.... strange."

"Stran-dge?"

"Yeah, strange."

"Why am I stra-ndge?"

"Oh, man...how do I put this.... Let's just say that....everyone kinda treats you....differently than most penguins do."

"Diffy-want?"

"Yeah, that."

"What is diffy-want?"

Bob felt his mind has gone completely blank. He tried to think of something to describe what different meant to Cody, but he's kinda too nervous to say about it, then he sighed and told him, "Well, you're not the same as everyone else is. Just....not as normal."

"Is diffy-want....bad, papa?"

"Well, no. Different is good. To everyone else, it's not."

Cody sighed softly as his father puts his flippers on his shoulders to comfort him. He told him, "Just because you're different from everyone else, it doesn't mean it makes you a bad person. Sometimes being different is a good thing. Okay?"

"I guess." he said, sadly.

"What I'm trying to make is that you are different, but to me, you're just the same as you've always been. Just because you're small, it doesn't mean you can't get any bigger or taller. You're fine with just the way you are. Do you understand?"

"Maybe." he said, with his head down, sadly.

He puts his flipper on Cody's chin and saw his dad, smiling at him and said, "You know what I think of you?"

"What, papa?"

"A special person."

"I am?"

"Of course you are. You're a special person to me and your mother."

"What about Glen?"

"Your brother thinks you're special. He just doesn't want to show it, but as you grow up, you will represent every penguin just like you and every penguin will one day find you special."

"You really think so?"

"I know so and you will do me and everyone else proud. Even if I don't see you grow up, I can still remind you as the little penguin I've grown to love, even if you are....different. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"Kinda."

"Here's what I think will stick with you as you grow up-- if someone tell you you're not like them or if they call you different, just tell youself, 'Cody's me, let me be me.' Don't let anyone tell you, 'Cody's this, Cody's that, Cody's this', say 'Cody's me, let me be me.'"

"Cody's me, let me be me."

Cody continued chanting those words and had a little beat to it. Bob smiled at him and said, "In time, you'll find yourself unique and something special."

Cody smiled and said, "Thanks, papa."

"Don't forget, say 'Cody's me, let me be me.'"

"Yes, papa."

"Great. Tell your mother I'll be home late tonight."

"Where are you going?" he asked innocently.

"To get some fish. I'll be back as soon as possible."

Then, Bob walked away, leaving Cody walking home by himself, chanting, 'Cody's me, let me be me' on the way back home. As soon as he got to the igloo, his mother noticed him coming in. Edna came in and said 'hi' to Cody.

"How was your day?" she asked.

"Good!"

"Great. Where's your father?"

"He said he'll be home late tonight to catch some fish."

"Of course, as always. Your father is completely relentless when it comes to fish."

"What's relentless?" asked Cody.

"I'll tell you that when you get older."

"Guess what I learned from him?"

"What did you learn from your father, besides fish, of course?"

"Cody's me, let me be me!"

"Shh! Not so loud. What does that mean?"

"I don't know. I just like saying it."

"Well, okay then. Just don't say it as loud, okay?"

"Okay."

Two hours had passed by and still no sign of Bob anywhere. Edna was getting completely worried about him, wondering where he could be. She sighed heavily as she went out of the igloo to find where he is. She walked through the snow to find Bob anywhere.

"Where could he be? I know he's out late tonight, but it's growing too longer. Must be getting some more fish, as always." she said.

Little did she know, as she was walking, Cody saw her leaving the igloo through the window and wondered where she was going.

"Where is mama going? I'd better go after her to find out what she's doing." Cody said.

Then, he climbed out of the igloo window to follow his mom to where she's going, which is also the same to find his father to see where he is. They were completely unaware that it could be Bob's last day on earth and also Cody's last day of seeing his father again.

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Stay where you are because Bob's last day is coming up. Hope this impress you, Cody the Maverick! Keep a look out or the next chapter! It'll be totally AWESOME!!!


	4. The Last Catch

I wanted to make Bob's death become more dramatic and more cooler. Let me know if this is a cool chapter.

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Chapter 4: The Last Catch

Edna walked towards Shiverpool to see her husband head out to the ocean to catch some fish. He was always swimming around the oceans of Shiverpool to find some fishes for his family. She sighed and didn't want her husband to find out that she's lurking about. Shortly after seeing that he's swimming, she turned around and returned to the igloo, hopefully to wait for him to come home.

Meanwhille, Cody has been hiding in one of the fish piles without his mother noticing and as he saw her walking back to the igloo, he snuck towards the ocean to see what his father does best, which is catching a fish.

He slid towards the icy parts of Shiverpool and headed closely towards the water, while Bob was unaware that his son was standing there, witnessing what he's attempted to do now.

Then, Bob dived headfirst out of the iceberg as he saw a fish heading this way and into the water he goes to catch a fish. He swam underwater and starts popping in and out of the water to catch the whole fish. Cody couldn't help but watch his father catch a fish.

Cody smiled at him and shouted, "Get that fish, dad!"

Soon enough, Bob heard him while he was catching the fish, hopping in and out of the water.

"What are you doing out here?"

He turned around and saw Edna standing behind him and answered, "Watching papa catching the fish."

"I thought you were outside. I just hope your father is safe."

They both saw Bob leaping up and down the water to catch the fish when suddenly, he leaps up towards the air and lands back down the water. After a few seconds, Edna was anxiously waiting to see if he made it, whereas Cody was confident that he caught it.

"Think your father's all right?"

"Uh-huh. Of course he is."

They were waiting near the ocean to see if he caught it or not, and within a few seconds....

POW!

A flipper comes out and in holds a fish. Cody gasped and felt totally amazed by his father's attempt to catch it. He shouted, "You caught it, papa! You caught it!"

Then, his head pops out and swims towards a chunk of ice and he stands there, holding the fish and showing it to Cody and Edna. He panted heavily and told Cody, "You see? Your father is the best fisher in all of Shiverpool!"

"Great work, honey. Can you swim back to shore?"

Then, he felt something underneath the ice chunk and it was a bump. Bob didn't know what it is, then Edna asked, "Are you all right?"

"Yeah. I think I'll make it back in shore in no time."

"Are you sure?"

"You're always doubting yourself. I'm pretty sure I can get back to shore. Easy peasy lemon--"

Then, a loud growl was heard from underwater and then, Edna asked, "What was that?"

Then, Bob looks down the water and finds out what it is. He looks nervous, and then he looks at them and said, "I'm pretty sure it's nothing. I'll just make it out as soon as I--"

Then, the growl grew even more louder and then, Cody asked, "What is that, papa?"

"I don't know, son. For all we know it might be a--"

Then, all of a sudden, in comes the animal that penguins fear the most of all. Then, Bob screamed out, "WHALE!!!!"

The whale tries to catch Bob, but missed because he jumped out of the ice chunk and into the water. He threw the fish to Cody and exclaimed, "Catch it, son!"

As Cody sees the fish thrown across the shore, he jumps over to catch it and holds on to it. As Bob tries to swim back to horse, the whale jumps out of nowhere in front of him and then, he leaps out of the air with his mouth open.

Cody sees this coming and ducked his head down and screamed out a ear-piercing, "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!" throughout the entire area of Shiverpool.

The scream echoed and for the longest time, there was silence. He opens his eyes and sees both his father and the whale gone. Edna and Glen were walking back to the ocean, shocked that there was no one in the ocean.

"Is he...." Glen began.

"I knew this would happen someday." Edna said, tearfully.

"Mama, look at the fish papa gave us!" Cody exclaimed, happily.

Edna's eyes were filled with tears and said, "I see he left this for us."

"Can we eat it now?"

She started to cry and said, "No, we can't eat it right now."

"Why? Wh-where's papa?"

Glen and Edna looked at each other and there was no way he can explain to Cody that his father is dead. She sighed and held both his shoulders and said, "Cody, your father....has gone away."

"Is he coming back?"

Edna sighed more heavily as the tears rolled down her eyes and replied, "No. He's not coming back."

It kinda hit Cody really hard to hear that his father isn't coming back. Then, his mother told him, "Go back inside."

"Yes, mama." he said sadly.

A single icy-tear rolled from his eyes as he walked back home, holding the fish behind him. It was hard for him to believe that his father is gone and that he's not coming back at all.

He looked behind and whispered, tearfully, "Cody's me, let me be me."

It was just his way of saying, 'I love you, papa. And I will never, ever forget you.'

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It was sad, wasn't it? Well, I hope you like it. Also, Happy Birthday, Cody the Maverick! Stay tuned for more.


	5. Downhill

This chapter was originally named 'Life After Dad', but was changed into the current name of the chapter you see now. I hope Cody the Maverick finds this impressive.

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Chapter 5: Downhill

It had been two months since Bob Maverick has died and everything turned out even more different than ever. Glen and Cody returned to school, but this time, they had a new teacher who was being a lot more strict and knows everything about fish. The most difficult part was Cody answered a few questions that were not related to fish, which irriates the crap out of the teacher.

He ordered Cody to sit in the back of the class, where some kids were giving him an extremely hard time with him, teasing and taunting him for some reason. But he managed to sneak out of the class to take a quick look at Shiverpool, just to explore a little bit without anyone noticing.

One day, Cody slowly snuck out of class to take a quick-see to have some alone time. As he was walking, he walked towards a river, looking at it, then all of a sudden, he sees himself in there. As he looked at himself in the river, he starts thinking about his father and has that saying still stuck in his head.

'Cody's me, let me be me.'

Even though it was a way of saying that he's just himself, it still gets stuck on his head and realized that what his father said kinda made sense to him. He sighed softly and whispered, "I miss you, papa."

It was beginning to feel like Cody's life could be downhill after his father's death and also, how would his difference would affect him for the rest of his life? He was beginning to feel a little sad about how his life will be if he is different from everyone else.

He remembers every waking moment he spent with his father until the day he got eaten by the whale and witnessing it for the first time. He didn't know what his life would be without his father around to comfort and guide him and to encourage him to be himself. It was so difficult for him to believe that his father isn't here to guide him for the rest of his life, but he keeps hearing his father's words;

'You're a special person to me and your mother. Even if I don't see you grow up, I can still remind you as the little penguin I've grown to love, even if you are....different.'

Those words were stuck on his head and will always remember the words that his father told him.

As soon as Cody headed back, he sees a shadow figure standing in front of him and it was the new teacher, looking extremely ticked.

"MAVERICK!!!!" he shouted, which gave the class more attention as he looked at the teacher shouting at Cody.

It startled Cody a bit and the teacher looked furious and said loudly, "Get back in this class right now!"

"B-But teacher...."

"No buts! I do not want to hear anything out of you, understand?!"

"But I was...."

"March right up to that classroom now!"

"I was just...."

"That's it! You are not permitted to talk in this class at all! And to prevent 'future sneak-outs', you will have guards watching you every second! Now, GO!!!!"

"Yes, teacher." he said, sadly.

He walked over with his head down and some students were looking at him and laughing at him, including his brother, Glen. Cody hung his head down and went to the back of the class, where a few students were picking at him.

He turned himself around the others as the teacher came back to the class to teach more about fish. Cody sat there alone, curling himself up in a little ball and lowered his head down. Then, he rose up and turned back to the class, where no student noticed him.

A single icy-teardrop fell from his eye and nobody noticed it. It was a plea saying, 'I want you back, papa.'

He didn't know what was the cause or what the outcome of what he is that would turn Shiverpool upside down after his birth, but one way or another, one thing is for certain: He really _is _different.

* * *

GASP! How cruel is that? I feel sorry for Cody. More of this fic coming soon! Trust me, it'll be totally awesome!


	6. Unmistake

Now, 5 years later, things didn't remain the same, and Cody's life was anything but normal.

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Chapter 6: Un-mistake

5 years later....

It's been 5 years since Cody's birth and also his father's and in the years that followed, Cody's life went a little more bumpy with several kinds of ways of being different from every other rockhopper penguin in Shiverpool and he's been known to be an outcast, simply because of not-so normal moments.

One day, the penguins in the school were all turning five, and it means it's time to graduate from school and into the fish pile. Most of them were ready to take the challenge to see how fish-piling goes as almost every other rockhopper penguin in Shiverpool does every single year.

However, one rockhopper penguin has been growing a little, but not as taller yet. Cody has remained the same since day one of his birth that he's different from everyone else.

Throughout the course of his life in 5 years, he's been tormented, teased by and ridiculed of because he was very smaller from everyone else and even Glen tormented him a lot, simply because that's what big brothers do. His childhood was anything but normal.

Then, one day, all the penguins were all ready to participate in the school picture where they're graduating from kindergarten and into the fish pile, minus one penguin in the crowd.

Back at the igloo, Cody was sleeping in his room, totally oversleeping and not knowing the fact that there was something important that day, but he was sleeping away and dreaming about what he wanted to do in his life.

Suddenly, he opened his tired, blurry brown eyes, groaned softly and yawned. Then, he scratched his neck and sighed sluggishly and then, all of a sudden, it hit him hard that there was something very important happening. His eyes opened up quickly and said, "The graduation ceremony! I completely forgot!"

He hopped out of bed, then ran as fast as he could to get in the picture with the other rockhopper penguins as they graduated from the school to the fish pile-up.

As he ran outside in a hurry, he sees all the penguins, including his brother, Glen, all together for the ceremony.

He panted as hard as he could and said, "Wait! Don't start without me!"

The entire colony turned around and saw him run towards them. They all groaned, "Not Cody....please."

"Sorry I'm late! I--whoa!"

Then, he slipped towards the snowy ice and slid down the snow, heading towards them. The crowd ultimately dispersed and Cody ran into some piles of fish and all of them were loose and most likely scattered around the snow. Then, more piles were scattered across the ice and Cody immediately stopped. He got up and saw the entire fish all messed up and out of place. The entire colony started at him and then Cody explained everything about it.

"I am so sorry about this! I overslept and I completely forgot that this was the graduation ceremony!"

"Cody."

"I tried to make it as fast as I could, but I couldn't run fast enough to keep up with everyone else."

"Cody..."

"And I am really, really sorry about this fish. It was just an . I didn't mean to make the fish fall down. I slipped and fell on the ice and then it just---"

"CODY!!!!!"

Then, Cody stopped talking and the teacher sighed heavily and said, "Just pick up the fish, please. You've already caused enough damage for today."

The teacher walked away, nodding his head in disbelief leaving Cody speechless. He also told him, "I am really sorry about this. I overslept, that's it."

"I don't want to hear it. Just....pick up these fish, please."

"But I--"

"NOW!!!!" he snapped.

Leaving the other penguins just laughing at him and picking at him as they walked away. Glen went over to his brother and told him, "Why couldn't you just be born a normal penguin for once?"

Then, he walked away without saying a word leaving Cody behind to pick up all the mess. It just seemed as though it's gonna take a long time to pick up the fish, let alone graduate. Cody sighed heavily as one icy-tear fell from his eye, knowing that his size really gave everyone else a much more harder time.

Maybe he became more different than he thought he was.

* * *

Very brutal, I know. Stay tuned for the next chapter!


	7. Size Issue

Let's fast forward a year later....to when Cody was six.

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Chapter 7: Size Issue

At age six, Cody's life could only get more worse than ever. Not only does he have to deal with the fact that he's different from everyone else, but to hear some comments about him that didn't seem to work well with him. Half of the colony kinda looked down on him, because he's the smallest part of the rockhopper colony.

Since his father's , it just seems as though most of the memories of his father would fade slowly, because of dealing with people judging him, because of his size. It just seems as though most of them just wouldn't let Cody be himself.

One day, Cody arrived a little late to pile up some fish and one of the penguins told him, "You're late, Maverick."

"Sorry about that."

"No excuses. Just pile up the fish, please."

"Yes, sir."

He walked towards his pile and looked up and saw a big pile of them. Cody sighed and muttered, "This is gonna take forever."

Then, he climbed up to the top of the pile and he sees someone throwing the fish and he caught half of them, though he missed several few. He kept up with the pace, though he was smaller than most of the others. He was able to keep a positive attitude towards it all. He caught most of the fishes and most of them got in Cody's face.

Most of the penguins were a little irritated about Cody missing a few of the fishes and tries catching it with his flippers, but could slip and miss any given moment.

Because he was small, it just felt as if they knew that his size would be a complete disaster when it comes to fish piling in the future. His fish piling and catching has been almost lacking, though most of them doubt that he will ever become a great penguin because he was not normal.

After several hours of piling fish in the pile, he was able to go back home, besides getting a rocky start. As he started to walk home, however, one of the penguins called him and he came in front of him. He asked nervously, "Y-Yes, sir?"

He sighed heavily and said, "Well, I wouldn't say you did a good job, though you did pile most of the fish. The thing is, Maverick, how could I explain this? Your size is pretty much not what I would expect to pile fish."

"But sir, does it really matter that I'm different from everyone else?"

"To your father, it doesn't. But to us, it does. We can only think that you will never amount to anything in your future."

"Well, I think I can still become a great penguin, though."

"How? You can barely climb a fish pile, and you'd still be small."

"What are you saying?"

"The point I'm trying to make is, I seriously doubt that you can be anything you want to be when you grow up."

"Why, though?"

"Because you were hatched smaller. We all knew for a fact that this is not gonna go well."

Cody sighed heavily and said, "So, this is all because I'm different?"

"Different doesn't go well here in Shiverpool, but since you're born in this world, we might as well deal with it."

"I guess."

"Bring some fish home to your family."

"Yes, sir."

Cody brought home several amounts of fish to take home and everyone else looks at him, carrying an amount of fish. Everyone seems to think that he can't carry every ounce of fish by himself, even if he's small, but all they can do is just look at him. Suddenly, as he came towards the igloo, he slipped between the icy snow and fell down on the ground, leaving the fish scattered about near the area.

"Not again."

Cody gets up and sees all the penguins staring at him and looking at all the fish being scattered out of place.

"Sorry about that."

Most of them turned away from him and continued going off in their business. Cody sat there and sighed heavily until he felt a touch from his shoulder. He turned around and there was his mother, standing behind him looking a little concerned.

"I forgive you."

"You're the only one who does. Everyone else doesn't seem to think that way."

"You shouldn't care about what other people think."

"I know, but it seems as though they're just doing this, because I'm so different."

"Well, there are good things about being different."

"Like how?"

"Well....how do I put this, you're likeable, you're helpful, you....have some standards that never seems to come and....."

Cody stands up and said, "You really don't know much about this, do you, mom?"

She was standing there, a little speechless, then Cody walks back into the igloo to get away from the situation and to find some sanity and a little bit of alone time.

* * *

I apologize for the shortness of the chapter, but this is all I came up with. Moving on....


	8. Picking at Cody

Take another step to another year and how Cody deals with most young penguins picking at his size, hence the title name of this chapter. Also, the early parts of how Big Z became a big name.

* * *

Chapter 8: Picking At Cody

A year has passed by and Cody, now seven, is thinking about what he wants to be when he grows up, but some others doubt that he will become everything he wants to be when he grows up because he's different from everyone else in Shiverpool.

He sat there, in front of the igloo, thinking about what he wants to be. He knows he doesn't want to be in the fish-piling thing because to him it seems very boring for him, not to mention doing the same thing every day.

He starts thinking, 'What do I want to be when I grow up? There's gotta be something.'

All of a sudden, everyone starts talking about this new penguin named 'Big Z', who's a great surfer out of Pen Gu Island and it seems as though, every penguin in Shiverpool has caught a daily dose of 'Vitamin Z'.

"Do you see how cool Big Z was?"

"Yeah, I've seen him perform the surfing competition in Australia. When he rode this brown carved surfboard and stood there, weightless?"

"Oh, man! That was so epic!"

"I wish you would've seen it."

"Man, I wish I would've, but I actually got to see him."

"Shut up! Really? When?"

"2 months ago, when we were in Pen Gu Island, he saw me standing there in the ocean and he asked me to surf with him."

"Did you?"

"Heck, yeah! He even brought me one of these awesome-carved boards and even signed his name there. How cool is that?!"

"Oh, extremely cool."

Cody overheard the entire conversation until someone turns around and whispered, "Don't look now, but I think the little puny fish-piler is staring at us."

"Who, Cody Maverick? Man, he's a loser."

"I am not a loser! Why can't you guys let me be me for one second?"

"Dude, you're smaller. You're only, like, six."

"Seven years old!"

"Whatever!"

"Yeah, I think you're too small to know who Big Z is."

"Do you even know what he does?"

"What?"

"Of course. He doesn't know. Surfing."

"What is surfing?"

"It's some sort of sport that Big Z brought in and he rides around a board and floats it in water with the waves. It's pretty much the most amazing feeling. You'd have to be out of your mind to not know stuff like that."

"Maybe that's what I want to be when I grow up."

The others looked at each other and started laughing hysterically. One penguin said, "Yeah, right! How can you possibly be a surfer? You can ride around the water and a board wouldn't lift you up."

"Actually, every board holds up every size; big or small."

"Well, whatever. You still wouldn't surf. How could you make it back in shore?"

"I can swim."

"Puh-leeze!"

"Come on, guys. We don't ned to take this from that little runt."

As the guys walked away, he shouted, "I am not a runt! Just let me be me for once!"

The guys started laughing at him and even threw a snowball at him and said, "Talk to the snowball!"

"At least a snowball is twice the size as you are!"

"That's because you're the bigger penguin."

They all laughed at him, thinking that Cody should be better off being smaller, which pretty much hurt him a little, but nobody seemed to care.

As they walked away, Cody sat at the snow on the ground and he felt some pieces of snow on his head, which brought him to tears. He walked back to the igloo and headed towards his room and started crying. He sat down on the floor, curled himself into a little ball, hid his head down and continued crying. It just tore Cody up to know that everyone else would make fun of him or judge him because he was smaller than everyone else.

He asked himself this question, "Why am I so different from everyone?"

* * *

GASP! How could these penguins be so mean to Cody? Poor Cody. Things will get better in the next chapter.


	9. Meeting Big Z

And this is the moment where Cody meets Big Z!

* * *

Chapter 9: Meeting Big Z

4 months passed by and everyone in Shiverpool has been affected with 'Vitamin Z', because they couldn't stop talking about Big Z. The entire rockhopper colony made a huge big deal when it comes to Big Z, though most of them never heard him.

Young Cody Maverick has heard a lot about Big Z and how they were talking about him non-stop and Cody wanted in on the action, despite the fact that he's too small and different from the others.

He walks towards the other penguins and hears the entire conversation of Big Z and he's very interested in seeing him in person.

'Wow! Wouldn't it be great if I met him in person? That would be cool.' Cody thought to himself.

Besides of being small, he's always dreamt of doing something big when he grows up and is being really good at it and wanted the world to see it. He never knew that seven years of his birth would go by so fast, other than being small and different from everyone else.

A few days has passed by and Cody is grew just barely taller, but still kinda small. He's almost used to being ridiculed and teased by everyone mostly of his peers and sometimes, kinda ignores it at times, which became kinda difficult for him to even get used to the fact that he's just different as everyone else.

When suddenly, something out of the ordinary breaks out.....exciting news.

"Hey, did you guys hear?!"

"No, what?"

"I heard that Big Z is on tour!"

"And you're happy about this because.....?"

"He's stopping in Shiverpool today!"

"What?! Are you serious?!"

"Dead serious."

"Do you know how awesome it is to even meet him in person?!"

"He also said he's giving most everyone a Big Z necklace."

"I heard it's the hottest thing ever made in Pen Gu Island."

All of a sudden, Cody walks in and overheard the entire thing. He looked extremely excited as ever that he heard that Big Z is coming to Shiverpool. It's like the best thing for him has definitely happened for the better.

"I can't wait to see Big Z!" Cody exclaimed, softly.

* * *

Several hours has passed and most everyone was definitely looking forward to see the whale come out and that Big Z is in that whale. Most of them were excited and others were anxious to see him, knowing that this is really happening, like they're anticipating the wait of a century.

"You nervous about meeting him?"

"I'm nervous and excited and also anxious and definitely relieved all at the same time."

"I know. We can hardly anticipate the wait."

Not too long, they heard the sound of a whale coming from far behind and most of them paused in excitement and anticipaton to see that whale heading towards Shiverpool. They all turned around and they see the whale spouting out of nowhere, along with a few other penguins and also, Big Z in it.

The crowd fell silent and had a ginormous full of anticipation to see this happening. As the penguins stood there, Big Z was the one standing in the front of the whale, holding his surfboard, looking at the entire crowd, like they're looking forward to this moment to come alive.

Cody sees the whale coming in and for a second, he knew it. He knew it was him and that he felt his presence towards him.

'He's here.' he whispered.

Then, he starts running towards and is stopped when he sees the crowd coming in and tries to get through it.

Before he could even get to it, he sees Z jumping out of the whale in the water, with his board and then, the water floats him over, which left the crowd 'ooooh'ing and 'aaaahhhing' with excitement. Cody saw the entire thing and wanted to get a lot closer to it and he thinks that he's gonna be the first to meet him.

As Z got to shore, he saw the crowd, looking very excited. On the outside, they were silent and still while on the inside was screaming, 'Oh my gosh, he's really here!', because they knew that to see his presence, they stayed entirely silent just for him.

Cody saw him walking towards the entire colony and has gotten through the crowd to get to him until....

He got out behind two penguins and stood in front of his hero, in person. Cody fell completely silent as Big Z looked at him for a while.

He chuckled and asked, "What's your name, kid?"

"Cody Maverick."

"Great name."

"Thanks."

Z chuckled as one penguin passes him the Big Z necklace and then, he gave it to Cody as he puts it on his neck. Cody looks at it and he is definitely speechless. He looks up at him in the eye and smiles at him, then tells him, "Kid, never give up. Find a way, cause that's what winners do. Can you remember that?"

Cody was completely happy as heck and said, "Yeah. Thanks."

"No problem. Nice meeting you, kid."

"You too....Z."

Z rubbed Cody's head and it was very amazing for him that he never said a word about his size or that he's different and he brought his, 'anyone can surf, big or small' attitude and that it became the first time that he never judged him of his size or shape and it intrigued him.

All the others were walking and one bumped into Cody as he fell down on his knees, as everyone gathered around Z. He was talking to some of them and everyone else has never seen a penguin like Z before to be a good example to everyone, including himself, like they were dying to meet him and actually talk to him.

Cody looked at Z and at that moment, he already found a hero that he can look up to, no matter what anyone thinks of his size or how different he is, only he can do great things and have the extreme persistence to do anything he can set his mind to.

'He's the greatest. One day...one day, I'm gonna be just like him.' Cody thought to himself.

Big Z hopped out of Shiverpool with his board, as he paddled back to the watetr and as the small wave comes up, he stands up and floats on it, while the whale's flipper helped him back up in the whale. He looked back and saw everyone standing there, amazed and excited. He waved at them and said, "Great seeing you all in Shiverpool! Catch you on the flip side!"

All the other penguins were cheering for him as the whale departs Shiverpool and everyone has left a good feeling, meeting Z for the first time, but the one who's more excited about it was Cody. He looked at his Big Z necklace and remembered those words; 'Never give up. Find a way, cause that's what winners do.'

As he looked at it, he kept those saying locked on this head as adjacent to 'Cody's me, let me be me' that his father said to him. Those two sayings were remembered and has been locked in his cranium and will be remembered throughout most of his life.

Most of the penguins looked at Cody's necklace and one said, "Kid, you are so lucky."

"Thanks."

"Don't mention it...ever."

Everyone walks away and gets back to their lives and Cody looked at the Big Z necklace and noticed that Big Z is a big influence to him and saw him for the first time surfing the waves in Shiverpool and said to himself, "That's what I want to be when I grow up, be a surfer like Big Z."

* * *

Looks like this could be the start of what his life should be. Why couldn't this happen in the movie? Stay tuned for more!


	10. Cody's Future Choice

Let's go where after Cody met Big Z for the first time and tells his mom what he will be in the future.

* * *

Chapter 10: Cody's Future Choice

A few hours after Big Z's visit to Shiverpool, Cody walked back home to the igloo, where he sees his mom, standing in front of the igloo. She looked at him and saw the necklace he has hanging on his neck. She asked, "Cody, what's that you have on your neck?"

He looks at his Big Z necklace and told him, "Big Z gave me this necklace."

"You mean, the new surfer from Pen Gu Island?"

"Yeah, that's him."

She looked at the necklace and said, "That's very nice, Cody."

"Mom?"

"Yes?"

"I finally decided what I wanna be when I grow up."

"What's that?"

"A surfer."

Her eyes grew widened and didn't know what to make of it. She chuckled nervously and asked, "A surfer? Like when people hold on to their boards on the water and then do some tricks to it?"

"That's the one."

"You don't want to be involved in some of these things. Aren't they kinda....dangerous?"

"No, not really. It's mostly what they do and they're famous for it."

"Well, I can understand that it's a job for them, but everyone around here is doing what they do best--fish piling and hatching eggs."

"Well, I think it's kinda boring."

"How so?"

"Who wants to spend the whole day sitting on some eggs and get smacked in the face with someone throwing the fish?"

Edna didn't quite get the last part and she said, "I'm not even sure how to respond to that, but all I'm saying is, I just want you to be safe."

"I know, and I'll probably try it when I get a little older."

"I'm still not sure about it, but let's see how that works for you."

"Okay, thanks, mom."

Cody walked inside the house and Edna sighed heavily and shook her head and whispered, "Kids these days...."

As Cody went to his room, he saw Glen walking around the igloo and he saw him with the Big Z necklace. He stopped him and asked, "Where'd you get the necklace, shrimp?"

"None of your business."

Glen yanked Cody's flipper and he grunted in every effort in order for Glen to release him.

"Let me go, Glen! Come on, this isn't funny!"

"Is that a Big Z necklace?"

"Yeah, how'd you figure it?"

"Everyone around the fish pile keeps talking about these things and that surfer dude."

"He's not just a surfer dude. He's the greatest surfer in the entire world."

Glen made a raspberry, which made Cody ticked. He struggled with every attempt to take Glen down, but all Glen could do is laugh at him. Eventually, Glen puts Cody down to the ground and he stormed off in his room.

"Is that even it?"

"Someday, I will get out of Shiverpool and become the greatest surfer in the world, just like Big Z! You'll see! And we'll see who's laughing now!"

Glen rolled his eyes and scoffed at him and muttered, "Whatever. Loser."

Cody sighed heavily as laid down on his bed on his room, thinking about what that situation had occured just now. He looked at his Big Z necklace and remembered what Big Z said to him, earlier;

'Never give up. Find a way, cause that's what winners do.'

As he looked at it, he starts thinking that maybe when he's older, he will find a way to be the best that he can be.

'I may be different from everyone else, but I can do great things. One day, I will show the world that it's okay to be different from everyone else and what matters is what everyone thinks of themselves. They just don't understand me. But they will.....I hope.'

He still has the old saying locked in his head that his father gave him;

'Cody's me, let me be me.'

The only issue is that most of the colony doesn't seem to accept Cody for who he is and all the comments were, 'Cody's this, Cody's that, Cody's this', which made him a little frustrated that he was different from everyone else and felt totally misunderstood. One question still remains unanswered: Will Cody let him be himself?

* * *

That question still remains unanswered. How will this go on? Stay tuned for more of this awesome story!


	11. Dealing with Bullies

One part about Cody's difference is dealing with the bullies. See how this came to be.

* * *

Chapter 11: Dealing with Bullies

A year later, Cody was eight years old and still has that Big Z necklace he's got hanging on his neck that Big Z gave last year, which is an amazing feat for him. So far, most things haven't changed much. He's still a little small, but he's dealing with it in a sense that he was expecting. Other than that, he's growing a little bit, only by an inch and a half.

Cody was walking towards the ocean, just looking at it, thinking that he might practice surfing the waves one of these days, when he gets a little older.

The wind starts blowing through short rockhopper brows and he stands there with his arms crossed and just thinking about one situation after another. He just had a really tough day, because of some bullies picking at him, because of his size and also, because he was wearing the Big Z necklace, which grew a little envious and also irritated by some other penguins.

* * *

_Earlier that day_

_"Hey, Maverick!"_

_Cody turns around and sees two young penguins, taller than him, looking for some trouble to cause young Cody._

_"What, you ain't gonna speak to us?"_

_"Can you guys just leave me alone?" asked Cody._

_"What if we don't want to?"_

_"We might want to mess you up, short stuff!"_

_The young penguin laughed hysterically and so did his friend, which made Cody grew a little irritated. He scoffed and then walked away from them, but the penguins weren't through with him yet. He yelled, "Hey!!"_

Cody already stopped and then turned to the other penguins and one of them got rolled up his knuckled flipper and his eyebrows were lower and he said, "No one walks out on us!"

_"Well, I just did." Cody said._

_"Since when did Big Z gave you that necklace, anyway? He probably felt sorry for you because you're small."_

"Yeah, and so puny!"

_"That's a lie! Big Z only gave it to me, because I was standing in front of him."_

_"Big deal!"_

_"How come he gave you the necklace and we didn't?"_

_"He saw me first!"_

_"Listen, Maverick. Why would anyone give you this necklace, especially a dude like Big Z, anyway?"_

_"Because he's my hero and I will grow up to be like him someday!"  
_

_The two penguins looked at each other and they burst out laughing. Cody grew really mad and started to walk away, but the penguin caught him by the ankles and he started beating him up, giving him a black eye and then, he yanked the necklace out of his neck, prompting him to throw it to his friend, in order to tease Cody with it. _

_"Go long!"_

_Then, his friend saw the necklace and he threw it to him and he caught it to him. Cody has tried everything he could to get it back, which made him more ticked as ever._

_"Come on, you guys! Give it back!"_

_"Make us!"_

_Then, Cody saw the fish piles and then, he climbed towards the pile and he saw one of the bullies throw it in the air and all of a sudden, Cody jumps up and catches it with his flippers and he got down on the ground._

_"Hey! You're gonna pay for that!"_

_Then, he starts running behind him and hee caught him and grabbed him by the flippers and then, him and his friend went in and beat him up in more ways than one, then he picked him up and threw him in the river. Both of them laughed hysterically at Cody and he shouted, "Hope you can paddle!"_

_Then, they walked away without a bit of remorse, feeling good about themselves for tormenting Cody. All of a sudden, Cody's head starts popping out of the water and he starts swimming back to shore, coughing a little and then, he starts panting heavily._

_He felt super-mad that those guys treated him this way, because of his size and everything._

* * *

Back to reality....

He views this day as the worst thing he's ever faced with and has to deal with it, every single day of his life. There was nothing he could do about it and he just felt like this whole situation with his size and being different from everyone else has taken its toll on Cody.

He looks down on his Big Z necklace and tries to make a positive outcome on it, but it's hard to do that, because his father wasn't present in his life and has very little memory of his father and has to put up with his older brother's constant teasing and taunting, because of the way he is.

For Cody, life just wasn't fair for him and he starting to believe that maybe being different is not as easy as it is.

* * *

Is that unfair or what? I feel so sorry for him! Stay tuned for the next chapter!


	12. Outcast

Cody has viewed himself as an outcast and this chapter will explain why he's different from everyone else.

* * *

Chapter 12: Outcast

Could life be any worse for Cody Maverick? Other than having no friends, how he is made it so difficult to make any friends at some point, because it just seems as though nobody wants him around, except for his mom.

Not sure, but Cody really _is _a loner.

Cody is still standing on the ocean, looking for some peace and also some alone time on his own. He looks in the river and sees his reflection for a short time, but got really frustrated and puts his flippers on the water, causing it to splash it at him, then he stopped and looked at his reflection again, thinking that he really si different from everyone else.

It just shows how different Cody really is and how he tries to strive to just let everyone be himself.

Cody sighs heavily and lowers his head and closed his eyes to sort of get away from everything, when a flipper touches his shoulder.

He looked up and sees his mother behind him. She asked, "Cody, what are you doing here?"

"Just thinking."

"Oh, about what?"

"Nothing."

"Is something bothering you?"

Cody groaned frustratedly and asked, "Why am I so different?"

"Well, it just means that maybe you're not the same as everyone else, but it doesn't mean it's that bad."

"It's bad to me."

"Don't say that."

"But, everyone says that I'm not like--"

"It's just that--"

"Everyone says that--"

"Never mind what everyone else says. It's only because--"

Cody felt a little angry and exclaimed, "Look at me!"

Edna sighed and gave him a smile and said, "I know, Cody. I understand how hard it is when you're not like everyone else when you're only trying to be yourself."

"I just don't have any friends."

"But there's a good part of being different."

"How?"

"You can do sorts of things that no one else does and be really good at it."

"Like what?"

"Well, you can do whatever you want or something like that."

Cody sighs and doubts that maybe him being different would be a burden to everyone in Shiverpool and could cause most problems towards most of them. She told him, "I can assure you that you're not an outcast."

"Then, why doesn't anyone like me?"

"Well...some kids are just mean. They just love to say things that makes you feel bad and they think that makes them cool."

"Why can't they just stop?"

"It's hard for them. It's something they'll have to do on their own."

"I don't know, mom. It's kinda hard for me to make new friends."

"I can assure you that maybe you'll find a friend that will pretty much understand you in every single way and you won't feel so alone anymore."

"You sure?"

"I'm sure. It will take some time, though."

"Well, how long?"

"Pretty soon."

"Okay."

Then, she told him, "Close your eyes."

Soon, Cody closed his eyes and he puts his hand on his stomach and then, she told him, "Forget what you see. What do you feel?"

Then, he said, "My heart."

"What does your heart tell you?"

Then, he started thinking about it for a while and he opened his eyes and looked at her and he told her, "Just be myself."

"There you go. No matter what you do, you can still be yourself. Don't worry about what everyone else thinks of you and who should you be or who you are. All that matters is what you think of yourself."

Cody didn't quite get it at first, but then he thought about it for a while and it started to make a bit of sense to him and realizes that it might be something his father would say.

He looked at him and said, "I think I understand now."

She smiled at him and said, "That's my little Cody."

Cody giggled a little and she gave him a hug. She told him, "Whatever you do, I know you will make me proud."

"You think so?"

"I know so."

"Thanks, mom."

She kissed him on the forehead and walked back to the igloo. That conversation made Cody feel a little bit better and it feels as though he wasn't so alone anymore. He looks at his Big Z necklace and still has these words stuck on his head and some good can come from this. We can only hope for a little while.

* * *

Heartwarming, isn't it? Hope you guys like it! Stay tuned for the next chapter!


	13. About Dad

A little thing about Cody's dad...

* * *

Chapter 13: About Dad

One year later....

Cody Maverick is nine years old and he's growing a little more, but still more different from everyone else, that hasn't changed much, he's still the same Cody Maverick from day one. Most of the rockhopper colony in Shiverpool are still not used to his size, but they're dealing with the fact that he is different and that's the way he is.

He's still wearing the Big Z necklace that Big Z came and gave it to him two years ago and he still feels as though surfing is his main priority and he wants to follow in Big Z's footsteps.

Ever since he was hatched, thigns took a turn for him and often times, Cody feels as though that he has no father figure in his life, besides the fact that his father died from being eaten by a whale. Since the tragedy, some of memories of his father were disappearing as he get older. He never really got to know his father that much, but still remembers the sayings that his father told him;

'Cody's me, let me be me.'

He's kept the same saying as he grew up and has been trying very hard to be himself, but it became very difficult to do so, because of some people judging him and tormenting him, his brother Glen in this case.

With his necklace, he looks at it and remembers those next words that still keeps locked up in his head;

'Never give up. Find a way, cause that's what winners do.'

It seems as though he never had a father figure growing up and it just became him, his mother and Glen. Somehow, it seems as though that there was no role model in his life, besides Big Z. It just filled him up with so many unanswered questions about his father that nobody knew about.

Feeling this way, Cody walked over to the igloo and saw his mom, just sitting on the couch. He walked towards her and said, "Hey, mom."

Edna turned around and saw Cody there and she said, "Hi, Cody."

"Hi."

"What is it?"

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure, hon."

He sat down next to her and said, "I want to ask you about dad."

She froze for a bit and didn't expect that question to come out of Cody's head. She blinked her eyes a few times and remembered some memories about her husband and then, she looked at Cody and told him, "Sure."

"Why did dad want to catch fish?"

"Well, it's kinda the way he is. He's always finding some ways to catch a fish, talking about fish and everything there is to do with fish. Your father has always been talking about fish since we first met. I liked him because he was always funny, reliable and really sweet. And at that point, I just felt as if I wanted to marry him and have some kids."

"When I was born, did I look---bad?"

She's referring to the moment when Cody was born a small penguin and not very much normal. She viewed it as a moment that was deeply shocking and very unexpected. It's been over nine years since Cody's birth and the situation that occured since then. Then, she turned to Cody and said, "No. You never looked bad. Just....different."

"I've been hearing the word 'different' my whole life. Is that a bad thing?"

"To everyone else, it is. To me and your father, it's not. You were our whole world."

"Sometimes, being different is bad to me. Most of the penguins keep giving me a hard time and they always judge me, bully me, criticize me because of my size and how I am. And sometimes, it just feels as though it's not comfortable with everyone."

"Well, like I said. It's just gonna take some time until they're used to it."

"How, though?"

"Well, just ask yourself this question: Am I happy just the way I am?"

There was a long pause. Cody thought about this for a sec and then, realized that maybe being a little different is a good thing for him, even though people don't see it that way. He's been lonely most times and sometimes misunderstood. He sighed heavily and told her, "Yeah."

"See? That's what I want you to know. Just because you're different, it doesn't mean you're a bad person. Just be happy with the way you are."

Cody smiled a little and said, "Right. I'll do that. Thanks, mom."

"You're welcome, sweetie. I love you."

Cody gave her a hug and she hugged him back and he said, "Love you too."

Then, they release and Cody went off, but not without asking the last question.

"Mom, did Dad love me too?"

She looked at Cody and then, told him, "Yes. He did love you, whether you're different or not. He loves you just the way you are."

Cody smiled a little and said, "Me too."

* * *

Okay, definitely the most sweetest part of the story! Moving on.....again.....


	14. Cody's Nightmare

Thought up an awesome idea for this chapter. What if Cody had a nightmare that everyone in Shiverpool was gone, his brother and mom dead and a whale that ate Cody's dad ate him? Mix them all together and what do you get?! An awesome chapter! Check this out.

* * *

Chapter 14: Cody's Nightmare

It was late at night and Cody was tossing and turning in his sleep, just thinking about something really bad happening. It's like the whole thing could be real, but it can't.

* * *

_Nightmare_

_Cody was looking around in the cold winds of Shiverpool and the snow was blowing really hard that it was hard to walk past it. It was a constant struggle to find where he is and where his home is, but things would suddenly grow worse._

_"Cody......!!!!"_

_He turned around and heard that voice out of nowhere. Then, as he saw something, he saw a rockhopper penguin catching a fish and waving at it. _

_"Dad?" he whispered._

_Then, he couldn't see him anymore and that it was a shadowy figure of a whale eating him alive. Cody gasped in horror as he saw the whale eating his father up._

_He got down on his knees and screamed, "NO!!!! Why did you do this to my dad?"_

_Some tears were falling from his eyes, but the snow was blowing so hard that his tears were frozen. He panted in fear and started running. He tried so desperately to run back to his igloo, but it was too far away._

_All of a sudden, he got hit in the head with a snowball and heard some penguins laughing at him. He couldn't see it, but he could hear what they're saying about him._

_"You'll never amount to anything!"_

"Why would anyone be your friend? Nobody likes you, small-fry!!"

_"You seriously cannot be Big Z!"_

_"You don't even know jack about surfing!"  
_

_"You're a nobody! Got that?! A NOBODY!!! N-O-B-O-D-Y!!!!"_

_"I don't think your size will be a good way for everyone in the colony, because we doubt that your future will be a good one."_

_"You will never go far in life!"  
_

_"You know what you are?! A loser! A LOSER!!!!! You will always be a loser!"_

_The sounds of them laughing and taunting him has gotten under Cody's skin and it just horrified him. He covered his head to quit hearing everything they said._

_"Please stop it! I can't take it anymore!! Stop talking about me!" Cody shouted, with tears in his eyes._

_Then, he runs away from the voices and then, looks at himself in the water, whch all of a sudden, pops in a whale from his reflection. Then, he stood back in fear and out of the blue, the whale that ate his dad looked at Cody and backed away really slow-like. He snarled and then, hopped out of the water to get him, but he missed and headed back to the water._

_Cody panted in fear and jumped out of the island and into the water. He swam and swam towards the water, looking for a place to hide, but there's so much water out there, that it's difficult to find a hidden place. _

_He stopped and stayed in the middle of the ocean, thinking abiut going back to Shiverpool to find his way home. _

_But it wasn't enough._

_He felt something under the water and he was afraid to look under, because he knows that there's a whale coming this way. He shuddered in fear and started swimming to find a highest peak in the ocean. Then, the whale comes faster and pops out of the water to catch Cody, but splashed back to the water._

_The waves have pushed him through the water and he's swimming over to find a common peak and he saw something there. He swam towards the other end of the ocean while the whale chased him and he climbs towards an iceberg. As he got to the top, he saw everything from up there and hopes to get back to his igloo. Then, he sees the whale coming this way, jumping up to eat him and then, he jumps out of the iceberg and swam all the way back to the island and he lost the whale for a second. Cody quickly ran to the igloo and once he entered inside, he hoped his mother and Glen was there._

_"Mom! Glen! Mom, Glen. Where are you guys?"_

_As he was walking, Cody walked towards the living room and saw his mom laying there. He thought he was asleep, but as he tried to wake her up, he sees some blood on her back. He gasped in shock and noticed that his mom was dead. _

_"No.... No.... No, please! Don't do this to me, mom! Don't....."_

He started breaking down in tears and held her closely. Then, he started sobbing hysterically, like he couldn't believe that his mom is really gone. Then, he starts thinking of Glen. So he went towards Glen's room and finds out that Glen is also dead. He was very shocked and became in complete disbelief. He backed away slowly that two of his family members were dead and he was the only one standing. He gets out of the igloo and walks towards Shiverpool. The heavy winds were gone and there was nobody there but Cody.

_One-by-one, everyone has disappeared and Cody became the only one standing. He felt really scared that everyone has died and disappeared. It's like everyone has gone and left Cody abandoned in Shiverpool._

_Tears filled his eyes and got down to his knees and started crying. Cry he did without a care in the world. It's like the scariest thing that ever happened to him._

_"Why did you have to leave me here all alone?"_

_All of a sudden, he heard a low growl out of nowhere and he turned around and gasped in shock to see the whale coming in towards Cody. Then, he pops up out of the water, with his mouth open. Cody started screaming and all of a sudden...._

* * *

Back to reality....

Cody woke up, screaming loudly. Then, he opened his eyes and looked around and it was all a dream. He panted heavily and felt completely scared after that. He looked at his Big Z necklace for a few seconds and then, some tears were falling out of his eyes and into the necklace and he broke down crying.

Suddenly, Edna came to his room and saw Cody crying in his bed. She came over to him and puts her flipper on his shoulder. Cody gasped softly and turns around and sees his mom there.

He couldn't stop crying and hugged her tightly. She embraced the hug as well and whispered, "It's okay, Cody. I'm here."

"It was a bad dream." Cody whispered.

"Well, it's all over now."

"Everyone was....gone and it was so bad."

"It was just a nightmare. It's okay. You're safe now."

* * *

Poor Cody! Cody the Maverick, hope this impresses you a lot!


	15. Tenth Anniversary

Maverick turns 10!

* * *

Chapter 15: Tenth Anniversary

June 7, 1999

The day marks the 10th anniversary of Cody's birth and Cody Maverick actually turns 10 years old. It's been a full decade to being hatched and being different in all those 10 years.

The rest of the rockhopper colony in Shiverpool couldn't believe that 10 years has passed by so quickly because of Cody's birth. It just feels like it just came here and it didn't go by so quickly.

"Can you believe it's been 10 years since we've witnessed Cody's birth?"

"I can hardly believe it."

"Remember the blue-moon hatching ceremony?"

"How could I forget? It's like the biggest birthing ceremony in the history of birthing ceremonies. When the Mavericks' kids were born, one came out okay and as for the other one...."

"When that kid first hatched, his little feet popped out under the egg."

"That was so funny and so cute."

"Yeah, then the entire egg cracked open and.... he was anything but cute."

"I know what you're thinking. He was too small."

"Anyways, that was the one moment that still to this day, wish we could say that it didn't happen."

"We had to deal with this kid for 10 years now since he was small."

"I'm not so sure what he'll become in the next 10 years or so."

"I've heard that he's gonna become a surfer like Big Z."

Most of the penguins were in shock when they heard that Cody will be a surfer someday.

"Cody? A surfer?"

"He can't even swim on a board!"

"What possessed him to become a surfer?"

"Well, three years ago, Big Z came over to Shiverpool and all of a sudden, as he was walking, in comes Cody in front of him and he ends up getting the Big Z necklace."

"I'm guessing he looks up to this guy."

"It seems as though time has passed by so quickly."

"Yeah, it has."

Back at the igloo, Cody was sleeping in his room and most of his feathers were molting a little bit. He groaned sleepily and opened his blurry, tired brown eyes, and got himself out of bed. As he was walking, he went through the living room, seeing his mom there.

"Hey, mom." he said, sleepily.

"Good morning, Cody."

She looked at him and it was unexpected. He was growing a little taller, but not quite there yet. She could tell that he's getting a little older. She smiled and said, "So, how does it feel being 10 and all."

"Today's my birthday?"

"Yes. You've been talking about non-stop most of yesterday."

Then, it hit him. Today was June 7th. He looked up at the icy calendar and realized that it is Cody's birthday. He said, "Oh, you're right. It is my birthday."

"Yep. Can't believe it. 10 years old."

"Has it been that long?"

"Yes, it has. But it seems like it was just yesterday."

"How long ago was it?"

"Ten years."

"Wow, that's a long time."

"Long time coming."

"Hey, pipsqueak. Happy birthday to you."

Cody chuckled and said, "Same to you. It's also your birthday too."

"I know. I just like to say my day is better than yours."

Edna chuckled and said, "You two are really growing up. It just seems as thought you two were little eggs."

"Come on, mom. Not that story again."

"Yeah, we've heard it 982 times." Glen pleaded.

"I counted 983."

"Whatever."

"Come on, boys. Since it's your birthday, I might as well tell you about it."

"Do we have a choice?"

Glen looks at Cody and said, "Okay, hopefully this won't be a long story."

"Yeah, last time I heard it, it dragged me to sleep."

"Me too."

Cody and Glen sat on the couch with their mom and told them, "Well, it looks as though most of you came a long way since your births. I remember like it was just yesterday...."

* * *

The story comes....and the next chapter will be the grand finale!


	16. The Story

This is where we conclude 'Tears of a Maverick'.

* * *

Chapter 16: The Story

Edna started telling the boys a story about them hatching out of an egg, just like it was yesterday.

"It all started on June 7th, 10 years ago back in '89, I think it was, and it was the blue-moon ceremony where every June 7th in Shiverpool, all of us rockhopper penguins gather around and we all see the whole sky turn dark and we start humming out to make the blue moon appear. The snow blew hard and cold and we would give everything we could to make the blue moon appear. When it appears, it shines down on our eggs and for a few seconds, our eggs have finally hatched and we all start a family."

"That seems like a good thing." Cody said.

"Of course it is, numbskull. They always do it every year." Glen said.

"Well, sometimes."

"What were we like?"

"Well, me and your father have gotten two eggs and Glen was the first one to pop out of the big egg and he was a big baby when he first came out."

"He still looks like a big baby now." Cody said, laughing.

Glen scoffs and rolled his eyes at his brother. He said, "You still look like a little creep."

"Boys...."

"Sorry, mom." both said.

"Now, where was I? Oh, yes. Glen was the first one to come out of the egg and it became the happiest moment in our lives and everyone in Shiverpool looked at him really cute."

"Was I cute, mom?" Glen asked.

"You're still cuter when you were a baby."

Glen chuckled softly as his mom reached in a kiss him in the cheek.

Cody rolled his eyes and said, "I think I'm gonna be sick."

"Anywho...." Glen said, scowling at Cody.

"We were all waiting for the second egg to come out and when it cracked, all we can see were two feet under the egg. It was hopping up and down, touching the cold snow. We all thought it was cute and very sweet, however, it all changed when the whole egg cracked open and out came....Cody. He looked kinda small and everyone in Shiverpool was not expecting something like this before."

"Did I look that bad?" asked Cody.

"Not to me. For everyone else, it's kinda like that."

Cody never thought that everyone else was expecting something like that when he was a baby. He asked, "So....was I different from them?"

Edna sighed and never knew what the outcome of the story could be for young Cody. Then, she looked at her son in the eye and said, "Yes."

"Wow."

"Since you were born, everything changed for the better and not in a good way. There were no problems with Glen, but your father wasn't sure that if everyone in Shiverpool could get used to you. Your father felt scared that everyone here would react that way towards outcasts. Makes them feel a little uneasy."

"How so?"

"Very much so."

"So, where is my father?"

Horrified, Edna remembered the situation and that incident with his father being eaten by a whale and that it all happened so quickly, that it still became more difficult to even know whether or not she should tell him the real thing.

"When you were a baby, your father caught a fish one night and then....a big whale came in and ate him."

Cody's eyes widened up and he never thought that it would happen.

"So, he's not here?"

"You were only a baby when that happened. I don't know how to understand this, but....he died."

"What?"

"That whale ate him up that night and your father never made it out alive."

Cody was in complete disbelief and felt completely grief-stricken. Not knowing that this all happened 10 years ago and that he was still a baby and never seem to know any of it before. It didn't hit him until his mother told him that, like it was all a big blur.

"Why didn't you tell me he died?"

"Well, I didn't know how to tell you that and also, because you were a baby. One time, you asked me 'is papa coming back?' and I told you, 'No, he's not coming back.' And he never came back ever since."

Cody sighed heavily and never realized anything about his father. He blinked his eyes everal times until his eyes got misty-eyed. He looked at his mother and whispered, "Excuse me."

He walked away from her and Glen into his room. She looked at Glen and todl him, "I'm thinking I better check on Cody."

"Why bother? He didn't know he died."

"But you knew?"

"Sorta."

Edna sighed and got up from the chair and walked across the igloo and while she was walking, she heard someone crying in a room. She recognized it anywhere. It was Cody's room.

She quietly went in the room and saw Cody on the floor, crying his eyes out. She went over to him, touching his shoulder gently. Cody lifted his head up and saw her behind him.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you he was dead. You had to find out sooner or later."

Tears rolled down his cheeks and he wiped them away and sniffled a little. He asked, "Why couldn't you just tell me he died?"

"See, if I did, then it would be difficult to tell you what it really happened and I didn't want that for you."

"Did he even love me?"

"Of course he loved you. He loves you for who you are. And so do I. Regardless if you're different or not, you're still you."

Cody sighs and still feels sad that he never realized that his father died when he was so young and that it was really new. He looked at her and asked, "Is it okay being just the way I am?"

"Of course it is. All it matters is what you think of yourself and as you grow up, you will love yourself for who you are and what's in your heart. And that resembles who you are as a person."

A few tears went out of his face and all Cody could do is smile. She looked at him and said, "You're so likeable and loveable and you're really something special."

She went in and kissed him on the forehead and Cody smiled a little and said, "I feel much better now."

"I'm glad."

She walked away and went out of his room, leaving Cody looking at his Big Z necklace that he wore throughout three years and those sayings were locked in his head forever.

'Never give up. Find a way cause that's what winners do.'

And another saying that's stuck him for life.

'Cody's me, let me be me.'

Cody remembered that saying, because his father said it to him to make sure that he likes himself for who he is, even though he's different. And it will be something that will stick with him for the rest of his life.

But the question is: What would his life be like in his teenage years? Would it still be the same?

* * *

**THE END**

Well, this is all that I have and that is the end of this fic. I hope you like it! I would like to thank Cody the Maverick for giving me the opportunity for doing this fic for you. And klonoakazeno, thanks for reviewing it. Could be a possibility to do Cody's teen years. Don't worry, Cody the Maverick. I will get to where Cody starts surfing on my upcoming followup on Cody's pre-teen years! It'll be awesome! Until then, Animation Universe 2005, peace out!


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